Prenatal care is basically the medical care pregnant women need before and during pregnancy. It includes medical tests, a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and sufficient nutrition to prevent complications and ensure a healthy baby and a safe pregnancy.

In the first trimester, prenatal care includes the doctor doing physical checkups, learning about your family history and prior operations and diseases, clearing doubts about pregnancy and guiding you to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

In the second and third trimesters, the doctor measures blood pressure, heart rate, weight gain and the baby’s heart rate. Some other medical or prenatal tests may also be carried out.

Prenatal care if are yet to get pregnant

Prenatal care is also required if you plan to get pregnant. Your doctor will teach you how to prepare yourself for pregnancy, which preparation has to start at least three months before conceiving.

You will be advised to consume 400 mcg of folic acid everyday, to stop drinking and smoking, to reduce your caffeine intake, to control any ailments you have and to avoid toxic substances and some over the counter medications.

Pregnant women should have a balanced diet, drink lots of liquid, eat food rich in iron, avoid uncooked food and food rich in mercury content and to get lots of rest and sleep. Stress should be avoided and under the doctor’s advice, try to exercise a bit everyday.

Pregnant women should not use hot tubs, take hot baths and avoid sauna and steams. They should also wash hands frequently to maintain hygiene and avoid infections as they cannot take too many medications during pregnancy.

Postnatal care

Postnatal or postpartum care is the care that takes place in the first six weeks after childbirth and can stretch to 4-6 months till the mother physically and emotionally adapts after childbirth.

Postnatal care is divided into external, internal and mental care wherein a mother should take good care of herself. External care is the external body care like dealing with body shape changes, coping with breastfeeding problems, coping with a caesarean incision and other issues like hair loss.

Internal care includes care against body aches, afterbirth cramps, physical fatigue, constipation problems and perineal pain. Mental care is care of emotions like low self esteem that arises with hormonal changes which make the mother more sensitive during this period.

Eating confinement food like stews, hot, non caffeine drinks and hot soups, and avoiding cooling stuff like cold drinks and fruits is part of postnatal care. Dieting is a no-no in postnatal care. Mothers should have three meals per day, with some snack breaks.

Keep time for ou

New mothers should have sufficient sleep and should thus take naps throughout the day. Household chores should be left to the partner or helper. Mothers should practice proper hygiene and not feel shy to ask for help.

Devote some personal time for yourself and avoid going out too often so that the baby can recover faster. Talk to other mothers so learn more about the problems you can expect after delivery.

With the right prenatal and postnatal care, you are sure to enjoy motherhood with gained self-confidence and greater energy levels. When you are happy, your baby definitely is happy and healthy.

To the married couple, pregnancy and parenting signifies a new phase in their lives. They have to make lots of changes in their daily routines, their relationship and also in themselves to become parents.

Many think parenting is rather easy. In fact, most people think that they can use and do the same tricks to look after children as their parents had to them. However just as life and technology is changing, parenting too is changing with parents having to learn new methods to deal with different situations and demands of their children.

It is when the mother is pregnant that parents realize the huge responsibility coming their way. Getting pregnant is not enough; parents have to think of the best methods to raise their child to make them an ideal citizen of society.

Follow a healthy diet in pregnancy

It is important that the mother follows a healthy diet during pregnancy for the proper growth of the baby. There should be no smoking and alcohol during the pregnancy as they only lead to birth defects or complications. If required, your doctor may suggest vitamin and mineral supplements to ensure your body receives the necessary nutrients for a healthy baby.

Parents usually start thinking of plans and ideas to deal with their new baby. These arrangements are not only for the near immediate needs of the baby, but also for their long term benefits.

The immediate needs of the baby include getting a crib, cradle, clothes, toys and baby food for the baby. Long term requirements of the baby include investing in funds for their college education and perhaps buying an independent house.

Listen to your child

No matter what plans and arrangements the parents make, the actual plan is implemented only after the baby grows up. This is when the parent understands the child’s preferences, aptitude, intelligence and dreams. Sometimes, it may be similar to the parent’s dreams and preferences, sometimes it differs.

At a parent, you have to always be there to listen to your child. No matter what the age, children always need help and guidance in whatever they do. They need help in differentiating between the good and bad, in making decisions and even in their everyday work.

Be ready to lend a hand and ear when your children require it. However at the same time, learn to retain your respect as a parent. You should not only be a parent, but also a reliable friend and mentor to your child.

Teach children the value of things

Too much of pampering is a no-no. If you make it a habit of listening to all the whims of the child, you only make it difficult for them to adapt to the world as they grow up. They will be used at getting their way, which though possible at home, is not possible at school and at work.

Teach children to share things, and not to keep everything to themselves. Though it is natural for a parent to want their child to have the best in life, its better to make them wait or earn their rewards. This way the child realizes the worth of things, and learns to appreciate it more.

With the help of these tips, every parent will find it easier to handle not only pregnancy, but also turn out to be great parents.

Though babies can’t talk, they have a lot to convey, which they do using their own language. Their language consists more of sounds and utterances, which adults tend to reply with raised voices and slow and clear speech.

They also add a few gestures to which the baby responds by giggling and moving their hands and feet. If you ever wondered how to understand babies, just take a look at these tips and you will find it rather easy understanding babies.

• Sign language is easily picked up by babies, so use more of hand movements. It is based on the movement of the hands that babies react accordingly.
• Gently stroking a baby, with some verbal mutterings mean a lot to babies as these actions make them feel the affection you shower on them.
• It is possible to communicate with babies by repeating words twice or thrice, along with facial expressions. This is because if you smile while conveying something, the baby also laughs with you thinking you have something funny to say.
• Along with facial expressions, one tends to speak more loudly than usual while speaking to babies. Words are pronounced more slowly with more emphasis. Adding some verbal sounds to the conversation makes it livelier.
• It is possible to teach babies by explaining particular things or mentioning if you are annoyed or happy with the baby.
• Always maintain eye contact with the baby while communicating with them.  Use the baby’s name to communicate.
• Remember that babies like attention and love it when people talk to t hem. They love attention; this is why if they go unnoticed they make noises and cry just to draw attention to themselves.
• It is better to explain what you are doing to the baby. Like if you are dressing her or him up, tell her or him that you are dressing them up.
• Babies love listening so read stories or poems to them. They also love songs, so sing entertaining songs to them.
• It is possible to convey messages to the baby just by playing with them. They understand things quite well so you can explain things to them. You will usually receive a smile and hand gestures from them showing that they have understood what you had told them.
• By repeating your baby’s gestures, they feel that you have actually understood whatever he or she has to say.
• Babies are basically different, just like we are. So to understand a baby better, you have to first learn the baby’s personality. There are some babies who hate wet diapers and make a fuss about it, and some who don’t mind it. Once you know the personality traits of the baby, you find it easier to understand why they are actually pulling tantrums.
• Usually babies who are quiet signify that they are not feeling good. The baby may have gas, is teething or may have a sore throat and thus is not in the mood to do anything.

So basically, you have to study the baby to actually understand them. Once you understand the baby’s personality and tantrums, communicating with them is not so difficult.

Pregnancy is a very important phase in a woman’s life. This is when she carries her child in her womb. As the baby depends on the mom for its food, it is important for a pregnant woman to follow a healthy and nutritious diet for their baby’s optimum health.

If you have always followed a poor diet, it is important you start eating nutritious and well balanced meals. Increase your intake of some vitamins and minerals and your calorie intake while reducing your consumption of junk food. It only adds empty calories to your diet.

Basically, your appetite will decide how much food you should eat. You may not have an appetite and feel nauseated in the first few weeks while the middle part of the pregnancy, your appetite may return to normal or increase slightly. While your appetite may increase towards the end of the pregnancy, if you suffer from heartburn or have a full feeling after eating, you may have small and frequent meals.

What to eat

During pregnancy, you needn’t change your appetite. Just eat the food your doctor suggests you eat so that you gain weight at the appropriate rate. Your doctor will advise you to eat a balanced meal consisting of food from different food groups.

Drink more of milk and dairy products as they are high in calcium and vitamin B12. Cereals, pulses, dals and whole grains are great sources of protein while vegetables provide minerals, fiber and vitamins.

Eat more of fresh fruits and avoid processed fruits. Meat, fish and poultry provide animal proteins. Eat more of unsaturated fats, and avoid saturated fats like ghee, vanaspati and dalda. Drink lots of water and fresh fruit juices, and if you go out, carry your own water as many diseases start from contaminated water.

Food to be avoided

There are some foods to be avoided during pregnancy. They include raw seafood, cheeses that have a white and moldy rind like Camembert cheese, unpastuerized milk and raw or undercooked meat, eggs and poultry.

Avoid liver and liver products that have large amounts of retinol form of Vitamin A, which is bad for the baby. If you, your spouse or your other children have allergies like eczema or asthma, avoid peanuts to reduce the possibility of your baby developing a serious peanut allergy.

Alcohol and cigarettes are a no-no. Even your caffeine consumption should be reduced as caffeine increases the risk of a miscarriage and low birth weight.

Take a vitamin supplement including folic acid, iron and calcium everyday for the healthy growth of your baby. You may require additional supplements if you are a strict vegetarian or suffer from diabetes, gestational diabetes or anemia.

No dieting

Don’t diet during pregnancy as it is dangerous to the baby. Weight gain is a positive sign of pregnancy. You gain the least weight in the first trimester, and the most, in the third trimester when the baby grows the most. Instead of eating three large meals, it is better to eat five or six small meals.

It’s okay to have an occasional treat when pregnant. Just ensure that processed and canned foods, junk food and sugar packed desserts don’t constitute a major part of your diet.